Shadow Bender
by xXEPICFALIUREXx
Summary: A girl named Mikka goes through the movie world of Avatar: The last Airbender.
1. Flashback

~ This isan avatar the last airbender fic. movie version. this might turn into a zuko fic.~  
>Mikka passed through the Southern Water Tribe, snow crunching beneath her feet. White mid-back length hair twirled behind her, orange eye eyeing her friends' hut. She could have been unnoticeable, her hair matching the snow, but the red streak gave it away. They were the brightest thing in the village. Beside her eyes.<p>

She was heading to the hut, owned by her friends Katara and Sokka, along with their grandmother, they were heading out on a hunting trip. If they did not hunt soon, the village would run dangerously low on food.

As she entered, Katara immediately greeted her.

"Mikka!" she exclaimed. "Where have you been?" her long, brown haired friend asked.

"I had to get ready… remember?" Mikka sighed, pointing at the katana strapped to her back.

"Yeah," another voice said. "She is the only female hunter." Sokka mumbled, striding towards us, his boomerang in one hand. Mikka smirked at the comment. Katara rolled her eyes at him.

"So… we should get going." Mikka suggested and looked at the entrance of the hut.

"You ready Katara?" Sokka asked. Katara nodded her head and we walked out, not waking grandmother. They walked to the far side of the village. Where the water was, was a rowboat, big enough to fit four people in.

They all go on and Sokka untied to rope holding the boat to land, and rode off to the other side. Mikka stuck her fingers in the icy water. Using water bending, she made a small twister, no bigger than her pinky.

Mikka knew she was a shadow bender. A few of her ancestors were as well. The power skipped every generation, her grandma was one and her mother was not. What does shadow bending have to do with water bending, you ask? A memory filled Mikka's head as the water danced beneath her fingertips.

~Flashback~

* * *

><p>A little 10-year-old Mikka awoke when light filled her grandmother's and her hut, and wished the light away. She groaned extremely tired and felt darkness slowly enveloping her. She was still on her blankets, but she could not see. She gasped and set up and the darkness dispersed.<p>

Her grandmother stood before her, in shock, but not a frown on her face, but a smile. She rushed as fast as she could to give her a hug. She whispered in Mikka's ear "do you know what you are?" she asked softly. Mikka shook her head, worried and shaking.

"you're a shadow bender." she smiled. "Do you know what that is?" Mikka gave the question her best shot, inferring what it meant.

"Uh, I can bend shadows?" she whispered. She wondered if her grandmother was crazy or if she was telling the truth. Her grandmother smiled like a lunatic, and nodded. Her grandmother must have been right, how else would that of happened to her?

"You know how storms cast shadows? Well the shadow leading up to the storm makes you able to control it. With the power of the shadows and storms, you can also pick two of the other elements. but be warned, ever since the avatar disappeared and the fire village killed all the air nomads, not one shadow bender has chosen air. They fear that if you chose it that the fire nation would find out eventually and come and kill them, fearing that they would be the avatar. In addition, you must note, that each shadow bender takes the strongest element they have and move to that village. There is no certain village of the shadow benders because they roam free." Mikka's grandmother finished the lecture, letting Mikka consume all the information she gave her.

"So… does that mean… you can bend water? And that it is your strongest element?" Mikka asked confused. Her grandmother nodded

~End flashback~

.


	2. Water

"Mikka, you can do it too!" Katara exclaimed. Mikka's concentration disappeared, and the tiny twister dispersed. She looked at Katara and smiled, Mikka had forgotten that Katara could bend. The many times she had dropped water on her poor brother's head.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you. I kind of forgot." she explained. Katara smiled and gave a laugh. Mikka glanced around and realized that they had already made it to the other side, and Sokka was tying down the boat. They stepped off the boat onto the ice.

"Watch. I am getting better!" Katara said excitedly. She slowly lifted up some water and it formed a sphere. She moved it onto land. Then started to lose grip on it and it fell on Sokka's head, drenching him. Katara gasped and he stood up slowly. He turned and looked at the girls.

Katara held her hands up defensively and had a small smile on her face. He started to stalk towards us.

"Which one of you did it?" he grumbled.

"What do you mean? Katara's the only one you know who can bend" Mikka smiled nervously.

"I'm not deaf you know…" Mikka flashed a smiled. She pointed to Katara. Katara gaped and smacked her shoulder for ratting her out. Sokka, knowing that Mikka was usually truthful, started walking towards Katara.

"I'm sorry," Katara, said lifting her hands again, backing away. "h-hey, I said I was sorry! I'm sorry sorry!" she gushed. He grabbed her brown-gloved hands. "Hey! Hey! I was better that time!" Sokka let go of her hands. She got quiet. "I was thinking of mom…..." she smiled "isn't that strange?"

There was a long pause. "Yeah," he said in a calmer tone. "Guess so," he turned back around. "Just stop doing that stuff around me," he stalked back off. Katara still kept her smile. "I always get wet," he stated sulking.

After awhile they got searching for some sort of life out in the tundra, they called home. There were huge ice blocks. It was a long walk, going over small hills. Katara had even fallen down a few times. They gazed at the sea as they walked, well at least Katara and Mikka were. The sun was high in the sky 1 o'clock. After searching around a bit, the group came across some tracks

"Tiger seal tracks," Mikka stated bluntly.

"They are so not," Sokka, said kneeling glancing at the tracks. Mikka raised her brows as he just sat for a minute making sure every detail made it tiger seal tracks. When he did not say anything and stalked off after the tracks, Mikka smirked, knowing she was right.

They came to two paths. One leading into sunlight, the other leading into shade. Seal tracks went both ways. Sokka looked at the tracks and followed the one that leads to sunlight.

"We did everything dad said to do." Sokka said disappointed. "We watched what their tracks were, we saw how long the drag skids are, it shows you how fast they are going," he said frustrated while staring out at the land. There was a rumbling noise underneath Katara's feet. Mikka looked over and something underwater was glowing blue and peering up at them. The three slowly backed up, as the blue light got bigger.

"There's something under there." Sokka stated with a look of awe on his face.

"Oh really? I just thought that was the ice glowing… of course there's something under there!" Mikka said sarcastically. The group knelt down as Sokka took he boomerang and whacked a hole in the ice. He hit it again, sending more cracks through. He hit it once more and the whole thing started to crack.

They hurriedly got up and rushed back. "It's caving!" Sokka shouted pulling the girls back. "Get away from the cracks!"


	3. Boy in Ice

The cracks started getting larger, heading straight towards the three. They ran, the cracks staying an inch or so behind them. The ice was creating tiny platforms, slowly sinking in the water slightly. Mikka, turning around, gapped at what she saw. A huge blue sphere had slowly made its way up through the ice, sun reflecting off it.

The sphere made the ice slowly rise up. Being cautious, Sokka grabbed Katara's right hand and Mikka grabbed her left, pulling her back. Mikka stared in awe as she watch the snow falling off of it, revealing a figure, eyes glowing a light blue.

"Katara, don't go near it," Sokka said. Realizing that Mikka was an adventurer as well, he added "you to Mikka." he said concerned for her also. "It's probably some fire nation trick." he paused "just slowly back away" he finished turning around and slowly walking off.

"Hey!" Mikka shouted, turning around. Katara took this as a chance, grabbed Mikka's katana, and ran towards the blue sphere. Mikka turned her attention to her "hey! What are you doing?" she shouted running after her.

"Katara! Don't you hit that sphere!" Sokka shouted like an overprotective parent. Seeing that Katara could not hold the katana right, Mikka took the katana from her and stabbed it trough forcefully, watching out for the figure.

Immediately cold air blew out, pushing the girls all the way back to Sokka; nailing him in the stomach, and pushing him back a good twenty feet. Struggling to get to their feet, a huge bright blue laser like light, shot towards the sky. Not knowing that the beam alerted someone, they stood. The sphere cracked and fell down to the ground.

~somewhere else~

Looking up from where he was sitting on the ship, a brown haired teen that had a burn scar on his left eye, looked up hearing an ear piercing noise, saw a blue light shooting far into the sky.

"Uncle! Look!" he shouted, got a sudden feeling; confident that was where the air bender was most likely hiding after 100 years.

Back~

There was a large crater in the snow, and they trio could not see what had came out from the sphere. Slowly walking towards it, they stood shocked at what they found. A giant, furry, huge tailed creature lyed, facing away from them.

There was a body lying beside the creature, of a boy, wearing yellow clothes and a red hooded robe. They wondered if he was even alive. The three slid down and ice patch down to the creature and boy. Katara knelt down to the boy, while Mikka bent over, and Sokka stared at Katara nervously.

"Is he breathing?" Sokka asked. Seeing the white foggish breath coming out of his mouth, where the warm airs collide with warm air, Mikka nodded. The boy glanced over and squinted his eyes. Mikka could not help but notice a marking on his forehead. "Did you see that light shoot to the sky?" Sokka asked nervously. The two girls ignored him.

"What's your name?" Katara asked the boy. When she heard not answer, she shot another question. "How did you get here?" she asked. The boy did not respond. Before Katara could interrogate the boy any more, Mikka placed a hand on Katara's shoulder.

"Katara," Mikka said gently. "He's exsuated. Let him rest."

"Mikka's right. We need to get back to the village," she told Sokka. While the two propped the boy up, Sokka went up to the creature, and poked it with his spear.

"What is this thing?" he asked mostly to himself, unaware that it had lifted its tail, and fell on him. "Oof!" he groaned. His head was barely sticking out of the tail. "It tried to eat me!" he said. The creature gave a moan, as if signaling him to shut up and get over it.

"Uhm, Sokka, I don't think its tail can eat you…" Mikka told him as he wiggled out from underneath it and stood up hastily.


	4. The Tattooed boy and the Banished Prince

Back at the village~

Mikka stared at the creature in awe. It had followed the group back to the village. To Mikka, it looked like a giant bison with a beaver tail. Katara was besides her watching the creature with her, in the same shock as Mikka.

"Hey. Let's go check on the boy," she stated plainly grabbed her friends and headed towards the hut were they put the boy. Nothing else much to do, Mikka followed. She pushed open the net door and ducked to get in, Katara following.

They had both walked in as the boy was stretching, and getting ready to put on his top. "Wow" both of them said at the same time as they saw the boy's tattoos. They were strange, and blue, and traveled up the boy's spine, across his shoulder blades, up his neck, and over his baldhead. Mikka quested that they were a continuation of the mark on his forehead earlier.

The boy turned his head to look as he slipped his arms through the white tie shirt. The boy turned around completely when Katara asked how he got out there. He grinned some.

"I ran away from home," he said while pulling the left flap over the right. "We got in a storm; we were forced under the water of the ocean." Mikka figured that he was talking about the bison looking creature when he said we.

"Oh. I see" Katara nodded.

"It wasn't very smart. I was just upset. Thanks for saying Me." he thanked

"You're lucky," Mikka said quietly. The boy looked over to Mikka and took in her appearance, noticing her exotic hair and eyes.

"I should probably get home," he said smiling. Mikka nodded. "They all'd be worried."

"You're still not upset...?" Katara asked

"Not as much as I was," he told her reassuringly. He glanced over and grabbed the staff he had when they found him. He quickly put on his robe and yellow shirt and pants, and his robe as Katara and Mikka fixed him some soup. Sokka entered the tent along with all the children in the tribe.

"The fire nation is here," he said with full seriousness in his voice.

"What?" Katara asked as if her brother was playing a joke on her. The kids quickly sat in a circle as Sokka helped the rest in.

"They brought their machines too," as the last child came in he, told them not to come out unless he said. Giving one glance back he turned and excited, Mikka and Katara following.

"Is something wrong?" the tattooed boy asked. 'Does he not know of the 100 year war' Mikka thought turning around.

"No," Katara said seriously with her eyes opened wide. "Please wait here," she said turning around, snatching Mikka's wrist again and pulled her outside. As they walked outside, getting temporarily blinded by the sun, the noticed fire bender warriors shouting and charging into the village.

They met up with Sokka and stood, watching the warriors file past them. Sokka closed his eyes painfully.

"Lights shoot up into the sky and now the fire nation is here with their machines." he spoke trying to sound brave, but nervousness and fear were enlaced with it. The warriors raced past them again. The trio watched as the so-called commander took off his helmet. He turned to be young, about 16, tan skin, brown hair, amber eyes and scar on his left eye. His name was Zuko, banished fire prince, searching for the avatar.

Mikka clutched the handle of her katana and slowly melting some snow beside her as Sokka reached for his boomerang. "Don't" Katara warned, gripping of their hands. The two fighters let go of their weapons and Mikka stopped turning the ice into water.

The prince glanced around. "I am prince Zuko," he said in dangerous voice. "Son of the fire lord Ozai and heir to the throne," he stated, voice getting deeper and louder. "Bring me all your elderly!" he shouted in a husky voice.

Gasps were heard from around tribe. Muttering things such as 'why would he want the elderly?" and 'why is he doing this?'


	5. Fight and Capture

Mikka's pov~

I growled as words slipped the out of his mouth. What, he was going to come here and take all the elderly? I could not stand for it as the warriors pulled out, grandmothers, and grandfathers, including my grandma and Katara's / Sokka's.

"Grandma," Katara said tears stinging her eyes. Of course, I was worried to, but clenching my teeth enabled speech. Her grandma reached for Katara, but warriors took her away. I glanced around and spotted my own grandmother, her eyes closed lightly and walking gracefully for her age.

'What one Earth is she doing!" I shouted continuously in my mind. Not caring the warriors would see me, I dissolved, parts peeling away from me turning black and then disappearing. Katara and Sokka gasped as the saw me form behind the banished prince.

Soldiers ran towards us, the teen still unaware of what was happening. I elbowed him in the back as I dodged attacks from the soldiers. The prince fell forward and quickly shot fire at me. I slowly bended it and took control, and sent it back. He dodged, surprised as much as the village. He froze as I sent water attack to him.

Snapping out of his daze, he sent a fireball and the two collided. I smirked as they created smoke, and I quickly sent shadows swirling around him. If I was going to show off my bending skills, I might as well show them all off. As the smoked cleared, he gaped at the shadows and blocked multiple shadow spears.

"Stop!" the boy shouted, the one we found earlier, and his cloak hood off showing his tattoos. Distracted I accidentally made my attacks disappear. The prince took this as a chance and ran over to the boy. I growled and charged up my attacks again, only get a headshake from the boy. I snarled and stopped, anger still boiling my blood.

"You're scarring these people," he said with full seriousness.

"Who are you? "What's your name!," he shouted. "And who is she!" he yelled, pointing a gloved finger at me. I growled at him.

"You better watch that finger, I might break it off." he glared at me.

"Besides," the boy spoke up. "We don't need to tell you anything."

"Fire benders!" he shouted. I got pushed into the boy.

"Watch it." I growled. They all got in a circle around the three of us, taking fire attack poses. I looked up at Zuko, which was a good foot taller than me.

"I'm taking you to my ship," he glanced to me, which I was glaring, fists clenched, and teeth clenched. "both of you, if you don't come, ill burn down this village." he said in a calmer voice.

"we'll go with you." the boy said for both of us. well, he was right, if we didn't go he probably find a way to burn down the village.

Katara watched as three talk while the warriors surrounded them, her and her brother could not hear them. She could not believe what she had seen. The fight between the prince and Mikka. How could have Mikka done that? Three elements! One element, shadow, they village heard rumors about it, and even if the rumors were real, that meant it was really rare.

She was so confused. Mikka is a shadow bender, the elderly people were being taken, and the two allies were talking to the enemies who wanted to take them! The prince walked away and the warriors grabbed them and walked towards him. They were leaving, without a fight. The warriors filed after them, not taking the elders with them.

"What are they doing?" Katara asked.

"I have no idea, but were going to get them back." Sokka said under his breath. Katara gave him a confused look. 'Sokka didn't like the boy to begin with, why would he want to get him?' Katara thought seeming to know what the look was about Sokka continued. "For Mikka,"

A fire bender approached a fire. He did a fire bending pose and sent fire, in a line, and swerved where the peoples head were. Everyone gasped and ducked. The fire vanished and the man turned and left. Everyone slowly stood.

A bit later~

The siblings had entered their hut and Sokka was explaining what the warriors had told him when they arrived.

"They were looking for someone old, with the markings the boy had." Sokka stated staring at the ground.

Katara, over by the door spoke quietly, "they dragged Mom away the same way when we where babies," she turned towards her brother and he turned to look at her. As she spoke, her words got stronger and more determined. "She wouldn't have watched us being taken away, she would have fought," she said trying to reason with her brother. "We found that boy, he's our responsibility. We should fight," she paused then continued. "And Mikka, she's apart of our family to! She has been our friend ever since we were little! You even said that you were going to get her back, what happen to that courage?" Katara said furiously.

"What would you do if they tried to take me away?"

"Why?" she sat down next to him.

"I'd kill them all." he spoke quickly. Because

"Because you're my sister. Because dad told me to protect you with my life."

"Yeah? What about Mikka? She was always there for us. Thick and thin. Don't tell me that doesn't mean anything to you?"

"Yeah but,"

"But, we are both your responsibility no matter how you look at it. This boy is our responsibility. Mine, yours, and Mikka's responsibility." Sokka looked away.

"What do you want us to do, Katara? I want to save Mikka; I want to save the boy, but how? How are we supposed to save them? They are on a ship. We need a miracle to catch them, I know you think everything is going to work out, but I don't."

Just then, the creature roared and children started laughing. The siblings looked towards the exit. Katara slipped on her gloves and walked outside with her brother. The creature was floating with the children dangling off his toes.

"His bison creature thing floats." Katara said, stating the obvious. Each paw was about the size of a small child. The creature itself was pretty huge. The children sent out a wave of giggles. An idea popped into Katara's head. She gave a small smile.

Somewhere else~

Mikka and Aang sat in a metal room, on a ship. Because the two had nothing else to do, they had started to chat. Mikka found out the boys name and that he was an air bender, which raised her suspicions of him being the avatar. Mikka had thought that the avatar was supposed to be an older person, but he might have been in that ice for too long.

Mikka stared out the windows, which were barred. The water was still covered in ice. Sensing two other people in the room, Mikka turned partially and glared.

The giant door opened but did not make a sound and the prince walked in, with an older man, not to old though. The prince stepped back and the man stepped forward. Aang obviously sensed them to. "What do you want with us?" he said not turning around

"My nephew wants me to perform a little test on you." he said calmly, sort of how Katara spoke. It was comforting and relaxing to Mikka but she still kept her guard up. He smiled "and your friend, he thinks her powers may come in use."

There was a pause. Aang looked out of the corner of his eye, still not looking back. "What kind of test." he asked lowly.

"I assure you, it won't hurt." Mikka's expression darkened.

"I hope you are aware that if anything bad happens, this ship is surrounded by water and I can easily take it out." she said her head tilted down and her bangs came over her eyes. The prince's uncle only smiled.

"I assure you, that it won't hurt him. I have performed it hundreds of times. It only takes a few moments, then your free to go," he paused. "Would you mind if I put a few things in front of you? It'll only take a moment." he repeated.

"That's all you want," Aang asked, wanted a confirmation on his thoughts.

"My name is Iroh, and you have my word." Mikka turned around fully. Zuko gaped at her. He had not gotten a chance to fully observe her. White hair, red streak, sharp orange eyes, and flawless pale porcelain skin. Well she certainty was not old. He wondered if her hair was natural. He had not realized he was staring until she said something.

"Do you have a staring problem?" she snapped. Zuko glared at the beauty and fixed his gaze on Aang.

Longest one yet! I hope you like it


	6. Explaining

at the village~

"grandma, I know you're going to try to stop us, but this is somethi-," Katara started but got cut off.

"sit down," her grandmother stated firmly. they sat down without question. "I knew from the first time we discovered you were a bender, that one day I would realize your destiny." she stated cooly and calmly as she poked the fire gently. "there hasn't been a water bender in the Southern Water Tribe…" she paused and put away the fire poker. "since my friend Hama was taken away."

"but what about Mikka?" Katara asked curiously. mikka could bend water to, right, plus shdows and fire. but her grandmother didn't know this. well she hoped she didn't, that would mean that she is hiding things behind their back or mikka was avoiding telling her and sokka. her grandmother smiled. "Mikka, shes a special one you see. Her bending skills are very rare and are handed down by skipping a generation.

She and her grandmother had it, while her mother and great grandmother did not." She finished explaining

"so, Mikka's family and ancestors are the only one that can shadow bend?" Sokka asked.

"not exactly. Say, at the beginning of benders, in every group of 10, there would be 1 shadow bender, along with their grand children, great great grand children and so forth." thoer grandmother summarized.

"how do you know all this information?" Katara asked suddenly. a grin spread across the womans face.

"Her grandmother and I are good friends." she stated simply. "but anyway, today I found out that destiny," she paused. "did you see the boys tattoos?" she asked. Sokka and Katara nodded. "tattoo's like that havnt been seen in over a century." the elder woman paused and leaned in a tad bit, as if telling a secret, but kept her voice at the same level. "I believe theyre air bending tattoos."

"How can that be?" Katara asked, shock and curiosity being easily seen in her eyes. The grandmother started shaking her head.

"I believe, that little boy might be the avatar." she said fully serious. the sibilings glanced at each other. she turned and picked up a scroll. "once, a long time ago, the spirit world kept balance over us." she unrolled the scroll revealing a map.

"what is the spirit world?" Katara asked egarly

"its not made up of things you can touch, but its there nonetheless. its filled with the most amazing forms and dazzaling creatures, that exist in the most exotic valleys," the siblings listened as if she was telling a fairy tale. "mountains and forests. each of these creatures is a spirit. they have watched over us since the beginning. they have guided us. and only the avatar can go speak to them.''

"arnt there spirits here" Katara interrogated her grandmother some more.

"yes, there are some spirits hidden among us. im sure they are watching us with greaet sadness" she said shaking her head again. "the Fire Nation doesn't wish to live by the spirits. that's why they are so frightend by the existence of the avatar."

"what can he do?" sokka spoke up.

"with his mastery of the four elements, he will begin to change hearts." she stated with a small smile on her face. "and It is in heart, that all wars are won," the siblings glanced at each other once again. "now, go help Mikka and this boy. he will need you three." she waved her hand over the map once more with her gloved hand. "and we all need him."


End file.
